高安 (Takayasu in Kyoto)

高安



高 - High, as in high quality grub
安 - Cheap, as in affordable to the crowd of college students in the shop



Takayasu is one of the many Kyoto-style ramen shops in Kyoto, all of them within a few blocks of each other.



Creamy soup, heavy on the chicken, some thin chashu, and not a lot of frills.



Of the plethora of Kyoto-style shops in the area, I was told that Takayasu has the most delicate taste. The creamy chicken soup sure was easy to eat.

If you go at lunch, the set comes with rice and fried chicken, which was all a bit too much. Stick to a normal bowl.





京都府京都市左京区一乗寺高槻町10
Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Sakyō-ku, Ichijōji Takatsukichō 10
Closest station: Ichijoji

Open 11:30-24:00

豆禅 (Mamezen in Kyoto)

豆乳ラーメン専門店 豆禅



Hard to find, unique ramen shops are a standard on this site. Sure, I could have gone to the top five Kyoto-kei shops and done a rather boring comparison, but I'm glad I didn't



Mamezen was tough to find without a smart phone or paper map, but after cycling around a few blocks near Shimogamo Shrine, I found it nestled down a small path in a residential part of town.



Mamezen's menu is simple; soy milk ramen or a soy milk ramen set.



Soy milk. I've seen it in some limited edition bowls before, but never a shop that does nothing but.



Fantastic. Yonegawa-san, the owner here, is in a family of tofu chefs. While his parent's shop is strictly traditional, he wanted to do something a little different. Something that the locals could get behind. The soup he created, a katsuo broth, reduced with soy milk, is just the thing. It screams Kyoto, without the formal setting of a pricey yudofu restaurant.



A definite must-go for anyone looking for something a little different.





京都府京都市左京区下鴨東高木町13-4
Kyōto-fu, Kyōto-shi, Sakyō-ku, Shimogamo Higashitakagichō 13-4
Closest station: Chayama

Open 11:30-15:00, 19:30-23:00
Closed Wednesdays, Thursdays, and randomly on other days

すがり (Sugari in Kyoto)

和醸良麺 すがり



I tried to find Sugari my first night in Kyoto. Passed by about 10 times. The usual flashing lights and flagpoles with ramen standards flapping in the wind were nowhere to be found.



From the outside, this looks like an exclusive, members only dining club for rich guys from the bubble economy era.



Even from inside it looks exclusive.



Look for the もつそば sign. The motsu here is beef guts. Japanese wagyu beef guts to be precise.



If it sounds a bit much for you, don't worry. Just get a beer with your order. Beer goes great with strange Japanese eats.



This tsukemen is surprisingly approachable. Just a few pieces of delicate motsu in a heavy broth, served in an iron bowl. The noodles are made upstairs, topped with roasted as well as raw green onion.

Deserving of the high ranking and line.



Look for the もつそば sign.



Official Site Here



京都府京都市中京区観音堂町471-1
Kyoto, Kyoto-shi, Nakagyo-ku, Kannondocho 471-1
Closest station: Karasuma

Open 11:30-15:00, 18:00-22:00
Weekends 11:30-21:00